In which I look at some statistics about college (and the costs therein). I post all of my presentations on my blog at http://blog.researchplan.com.

1. Surprising Statistics Surprising Statistics Episode 1: The Old College Try This slideshow is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Please contact the author for additional permissions. All graphics and quotations not created by the author are attributed to their original sources and cited as necessary.

2. Ah, college. That bastion of improving one’s mind. I’m a big believer in higher education myself. But I’m also a fierce opponent of many kids going to college right out of high school. Photo credit: Greatdegree (Flickr.com). Used Under Creative Commons License

3. This is how I spent one of my college days instead of going to class. Like a lot of my classmates, I didn’t take my collegiate experience too seriously. On my first try, I made it three and a half years before I dropped out. At that point in my life, going to class wasn’t high on my list of priorities. Sean circa Spring, 2001 Photo credit: The Daily Illini

4. It took me ten years to finally finish my undergrad. (And thankfully, a lot less for my master’s degree.) Around two thirds of high school graduates go on to college in the US.1 But only 31% of 25-29 year-olds in the US have achieved a bachelor’s degree.2 Statistics source: 1January, 2005 report by the Education Trust2National Center for Education Statistics Photo credit: lethaargic(Flickr.com) Used Under Creative Commons License.

5. Nearly 12 million 18-24 year olds were enrolled in college in October, 2008.1 But nearly half are unlikely to finish their degree. Only two in five finish their degree within 4 years, and three in five within 6 years.2 Statistics source: 1Pew Research Brief October 29, 2009 2January, 2005 report by the Education Trust Photo source: Microsoft Office images

6. The dropout rate is particularly problematic when you consider the costs of going to college. Average Annual Tuition and Fees, 20101 The average 2008 grad borrowed over $23,000 to finance a bachelor’s degree.2 Statistics source: 1CollegeBoard.com 2Pew Research Center Article Photo source: Microsoft Office images

7. Assuming cost of living expenses of $1,613 a month (a low-end budget)1, a 4-year college degree in-state at a public university costs an average of $107,844, and a 6-year degree costs $161,766. And while college grads are eventually likely to make more, they are not likely to pay off their tuition bills and make up for lost time until they are 33 years old.2 Sources: CollegeBoard Living Expense Budget 2010 CollegeBoardEducation Pays Report 2010 Photo source: Microsoft Office images

8. I’m really glad I went back to college and finished. Sean at his Master’s Degree graduation ceremony, 2009 But my advice to high-school kids? “Go work for a year or two, and then go to college when you’re ready to take it seriously.” (Of course, at that age, I wouldn’t have listened to me, either!)